Lovie?

[Gladeskat]

Lol? Even NU grad Wilbon called it a genius move. Lovie hasn't forgotten how to coach. He is 57. That's not old. He was 81-63 with the freaking Bears and coached them to the a Super Bowl. He was fired after a 10-6 season. How has that worked out for them since?

Lovie is very impressive and has been given big resources to work with. This is not a retirement job. That's just silly.

Josh Whitman is going to be a hell of an AD, too.

I'm thinking there is a bit of trepidation in Evanston. Won't be so easy to recruit against Lovie. Fitz can't look down his nose and act like he is superior anymore.

Only one of his boys will be on staff and he has the resume for it. Another is a sports agent and the third is going to grad school (not at UI).

Watch the staff he puts together.

While I understand Illinois' desire to make a big splash in hiring a coach after four poor coaches and flagging attendance, neither Whitman and Lovie Smith are a proven D1 athletic director or coach. I think it's a good hire, but not risk-free. I think the biggest surprise is not the names, but the money being thrown at the problem. What will UI do if the Lovie hire fails? Throw more money at the problem?

I enjoyed reading Illinois fans enthusiasm for Tim Beckman when he was hired. How did that turn out? I also enjoy reading Illinoisloyalty for the old threads on Zooker's glorious recruiting. Here's an example...

"Let the Ron Zook Era begin! With Bruce Weber and the Great Ron Zook at the helm of Illinois Athletics, I am a very happy man today."

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

While I understand Illinois' desire to make a big splash in hiring a coach after four poor coaches and flagging attendance, neither Whitman and Lovie Smith are a proven D1 athletic director or coach. I think it's a good hire, but not risk-free. I think the biggest surprise is not the names, but the money being thrown at the problem. What will UI do if the Lovie hire fails? Throw more money at the problem?

I enjoyed reading Illinois fans enthusiasm for Tim Beckman when he was hired. How did that turn out? I also enjoy reading Illinoisloyalty for the old threads on Zooker's glorious recruiting. Here's an example...

"Let the Ron Zook Era begin! With Bruce Weber and the Great Ron Zook at the helm of Illinois Athletics, I am a very happy man today."

Yes they will get better. I don't see consistent powerhouses any time soon. Could they eventually contend in the West, sure. No one is great, but only 1 team is terrible and they will have their hands full with everyone else.

The facilities, game day experience, and location still rank in the bottom half of the B1G. 2 of the 3 can't change any time soon. I can't see a game day that competes with Whisky, Nebby or Iowa either.

 

[GlideCat]

This is a joke, right? Visit Illinois message boards sometime and try to find patience.

I do not count people on message boards as representative of an overall fan base. We are a tiny minority and overly rabid.

 

[Gladeskat]

I do not count people on message boards as representative of an overall fan base. We are a tiny minority and overly rabid.

True, but there are other measures of discontent like donations, attendance and associated revenue. Illinois is hurting right now.

 

[T_Levine]

I think people miss an important factor in recruiting today. Its national. Under Zook, Illinois got kids from the DC area and florida. With Maryland in the Big Ten and their resources, Illinois wont be able to duplicate that. Illinois will compete with the midwest big ten schools. We have to get the midwest kids that fit with Northwestern, but will most likely compete far more with Stanford, Notre Dame etc. for kids than with Illinois.

When Illinois HS football is good, Iowa, Wiscy and ND get their share. I can't see Illinois locking the borders.

 

[Houstonillini]

I enjoyed reading Illinois fans enthusiasm for Tim Beckman when he was hired. How did that turn out?

uh not quite - people were pretty meh overall at his hiring at best (more were upset for Thomas whiffing on other names first and going with like a 5th choice) - but Beckman lost a lot of fans with his introductory press conference.

 

[NUCat320]

I think people miss an important factor in recruiting today. Its national. Under Zook, Illinois got kids from the DC area and florida. With Maryland in the Big Ten and their resources, Illinois wont be able to duplicate that. Illinois will compete with the midwest big ten schools. We have to get the midwest kids that fit with Northwestern, but will most likely compete far more with Stanford, Notre Dame etc. for kids than with Illinois.

When Illinois HS football is good, Iowa, Wiscy and ND get their share. I can't see Illinois locking the borders.

I liked Beckman's recruiting base. I think it was '5 states and 300 miles driving distance.' (It sounds like a joke, but I swear there was some video with that statement laying out his grand program building philosophy. Right?)

Re: Lovie
Can he stick his landings?

 

[Gladeskat]

uh not quite - people were pretty meh overall at his hiring at best (more were upset for Thomas whiffing on other names first and going with like a 5th choice) - but Beckman lost a lot of fans with his introductory press conference.

I certainly was turned off by Beckman after I saw his introductory press conference.

Going by message board posts at that time, some fans were lost (e.g., Illinibat), but the message boards were still largely filled with support and excitement for Beckman. Perhaps they were just fed up with Zook and happy for the change, but messages on IlinoisLoyalty were almost entirely supportive. If many fans were turned off, then they didn't come out of the woodwork until early in the 2012 season.

Hindsight is 20/20.

By the way, the response to Fitz's hiring was kinda similar to Beckman's hiring. Perhaps slightly more enthusiastic because of his stardom at NU, but there were concerns over his youth, with several people wondering why we didn't go the interim head coach route.

 

[illini75_rivals]

I certainly was turned off by Beckman after I saw his introductory press conference.

Going by message board posts at that time, some fans were lost (e.g., Illinibat), but the message boards were still largely filled with praise and excitement for Beckman. Perhaps they were just fed up with Zook and happy for the change, but messages on IlinoisLoyalty were almost entirely supportive. If many fans were turned off, then they didn't came out of the woodwork until early in the 2012 season.

Well, if you're a fan, what are you going to do when the new coach is announced, whether you're thrilled or not? We all support our schools in pretty much all circumstances, and our sports programs until it becomes clear they don't deserve support. Beckman caused lots of consternation with Illini faithful very early on with his initial press conference, his inability to bring his own OC with him from Toledo, and then his ill-advised and badly executed run at PSU players. He wasn't entirely without redeeming characteristics . . . I just can't think of any of them right now.

Here's hoping for a more interesting rivalry, and one that will actually have regular significance in the conference.

 

[Gladeskat]

Well, if you're a fan, what are you going to do when the new coach is announced, whether you're thrilled or not? We all support our schools in pretty much all circumstances, and our sports programs until it becomes clear they don't deserve support. Beckman caused lots of consternation with Illini faithful very early on with his initial press conference, his inability to bring his own OC with him from Toledo, and then his ill-advised and badly executed run at PSU players. He wasn't entirely without redeeming characteristics . . . I just can't think of any of them right now.

Here's hoping for a more interesting rivalry, and one that will actually have regular significance in the conference.

Fair enough.

I posted this above but will add it here...the response to Fitz's hiring was kinda similar to Beckman's hiring. Perhaps slightly more enthusiastic because of his stardom at NU, but there were serious concerns over his youth and experience, with several people wondering why we didn't go the interim head coach route. AD Mark Murphy spent much of Fitz's first press conference trying to ease those fears in his introductory remarks.

I'm obviously not an Illini fan but I'm happy that the AD got rid of an abusive coach like Beckman for the players' sake.

 

[GlideCat]

I certainly was turned off by Beckman after I saw his introductory press conference.

Going by message board posts at that time, some fans were lost (e.g., Illinibat), but the message boards were still largely filled with support and excitement for Beckman.

By the way, the response to Fitz's hiring was kinda similar to Beckman's hiring. Perhaps slightly more enthusiastic because of his stardom at NU, but there were concerns over his youth, with several people wondering why we didn't go the interim head coach route.

When Fitz was hired, I thought it was a mistake due to his lack of experience as even a coordinator. Being a fan, I chose to make no posts on the matter because I try to avoid being overly negative without strong reason. I assume that the Illini rabid fans may be similar to us in that - while a very few will go out of their way to be as negative as possible - most will keep their misgivings to themselves until they feel there is sufficient actual proof that a change is needed.

So the majority of the posts when Beckman was hired being positive really is not a realistic indicator of what the fan base as a whole felt emotionally about the hire.

btw... I was wrong about Fitz.

 

[Gladeskat]

When Fitz was hired, I thought it was a mistake due to his lack of experience as even a coordinator. Being a fan, I chose to make no posts on the matter because I try to avoid being overly negative without strong reason. I assume that the Illini rabid fans may be similar to us in that - while a very few will go out of their way to be as negative as possible - most will keep their misgivings to themselves until they feel there is sufficient actual proof that a change is needed.

So the majority of the posts when Beckman was hired being positive really is not a realistic indicator of what the fan base as a whole felt emotionally about the hire.

btw... I was wrong about Fitz.

Agree 100%. All boards have their pollyannas (including myself) that will write supportive posts for incoming coaches. However, I like to see some results before I form an opinion.

It took until the 2008 season before I became sold on Fitz. I believe I had the same general opinion you had. I preferred an older (>40), more experienced coach at that time, but I had middle-aged coaches in HS and college. I kept silent until after the 2007 Duke fiasco, whereupon I wrote a blasphemous 'Turk-post' and suggested that Fitz needs to be fired if he continues to produce what I considered to be 'program-damaging' losses.

Were you posting back in the summer of 2006 or earlier under a different handle?

 

[GlideCat]

Agree 100%. All boards have their pollyannas (including myself) that will write supportive posts for incoming coaches. However, I like to see some results before I form an opinion.

It took until the 2008 season before I became sold on Fitz. I believe I had the same general opinion you had. I preferred an older (>40), more experienced coach at that time, but I had middle-aged coaches in HS and college. I kept silent until after the 2007 Duke fiasco, whereupon I wrote a blasphemous 'Turk-post' and suggested that Fitz needs to be fired if he continues to produce what I considered to be 'program-damaging' losses.

Were you posting back in the summer of 2006 or earlier under a different handle?

I used to post a long time ago on the old ESPN boards. Mainly on the Big 10 and Top 25 boards as the NU board was pretty quiet. Alvious was there or someone with the same name. I do not remember the dates. Then I showed up here a few years ago.

 

[VBCat97]

Lol? Even NU grad Wilbon called it a genius move. Lovie hasn't forgotten how to coach. He is 57. That's not old. He was 81-63 with the freaking Bears and coached them to the a Super Bowl. He was fired after a 10-6 season. How has that worked out for them since?

Lovie is very impressive and has been given big resources to work with. This is not a retirement job. That's just silly.

Josh Whitman is going to be a hell of an AD, too.

I'm thinking there is a bit of trepidation in Evanston. Won't be so easy to recruit against Lovie. Fitz can't look down his nose and act like he is superior anymore.

Only one of his boys will be on staff and he has the resume for it. Another is a sports agent and the third is going to grad school (not at UI).

Watch the staff he puts together.

 

[DaCat]

Hat